We write about
our experiences in MENU, not only to entertain you, but to encourage you to
visit the places and events that we do. We know you will enjoy them and we try
to make each write up as graphic as we can, so you get a good picture of what
is on offer at each place, restaurant, wine farm, festival we visit. To get the whole story with photographs, please click on “Read on.....”at the end of each paragraph,
which will lead you to the related blog, with pictures and more words. At the
end of each blog, click on RETURN TO MENU to come back to the blog
version of MENU.

Continuing the Aegean Odyssey
This week, we tell you about the first days of the Greek part of our Odyssey:
our three day stay in Santorini and our first day in Naxos, a much less
frenetically tourist island, which we loved. Lynne had so wanted John to see a
typical seaside Greek town and Naxos is it. Read On:

Perdeberg Winery launches its new Barrel
Cellar We returned
to work this week and were invited to Perdeberg for the launch of their new
Barrel cellar, with lunch. We have always loved their wines, especially their
Chenin Blancs and we sold cases of them when we had our shop, Main Ingredient,
so we knew we were in for a good day. They had organised a bus to take us out
to the farm from town, which we are always grateful for, as tasting wine all
day and then driving home means John cannot enjoy the day as much as he would
like. Read On

Old Mutual Trophy Public Tasting at the
CTICC Because we were away when these awards
were announced and we had to miss the awards lunch, this was an event not to
miss, as we could taste the Trophy wines and some of the other medal winners. It
was held last Friday at the CTICC and was a very special tasting of some lovely
wines especially, for us, the Museum class wines.. Read on

This week's recipe is, as promised, a classic Greek recipe: Stuffed Cabbage
rolls in a lemon Sauce - Lahanodolmades. We ate this at a small
taverna on our first night in Diakofto in the Peloponnese and they were
delicious.

Carefully take all the leaves off the cabbage,
discarding the outer leaves. Wash them well. Blanch them quickly, in batches, in
a large pot of boiling water. This will soften them and make them more pliable
and easier to roll. Remove from the water and drain them. spoon and place on a
clean working surface. Allow to cool then remove the thick inner vein on the
leaves and set these aside for use later.

For the stuffing, mix the mince, onions, parsley,
dill, rice and egg whites together very well, preferably kneading with your
hands and then season, Fry a small piece of the mince to see if the flavour is
to your liking and adjust the seasoning.

Place one leaf on a flat board (if it is too big, cut
it in smaller pieces), add a dessert spoonful of the filling on the bottom
centre of the leaf, fold the bottom of the leaf upwards, bring in the two sides
and carefully roll up but not too tightly. Try not to overfill the rolls, as the rice will expand during cooking. continue
until you have used up all the filling. Layer the bottom of a large pot with
the removed thick inner vein of the leaves and any cabbage leaves that were too
small for rolling. Lay the stuffed cabbage rolls on top, fold side down, in
nicely packed layers. Season with salt and pepper and pour in the olive oil.
Place an inverted plate on top to hold them down when cooking and pour in
enough water to just cover them. Put the lid on and bring slowly to a simmer.
Turn the heat down and simmer over medium heat for about 1 hour, until the
cabbage is tender. Drain the remaining water, keep it and arrange the cabbage
in a serving dish; keep warm until the sauce is ready and you are about to
serve.

Make the lemon sauce. Make a roux by melting the
butter over medium heat, then add the flour and whisk to form a paste, cook for
a minute or two. Add the lemon juice and then slowly add the milk, a little at
a time whilst whisking to make the sauce. Then pour in 3/4 of a cup of the
drained liquid and whisk, until the sauce thickens a little bit. Then, off the
heat, stir in the two egg yolks which will thicken the sauce even more. Taste,
adjust the seasoning and add more lemon if you like. Pour the sauce over the
stuffed cabbage rolls and season well with freshly ground pepper.

COMING EVENTS:

Tuesday 23rd June at 17h45 for 18h00 (until approximately
19:30) Bouchard
Finlayson‘s Tutored Wine Tastings series will make a stop at home, on the Bouchard Finlayson
wine farm, R320 Hemel-en-Aarde Road in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. The informal,
relaxed tasting for a maximum of 20 guests will take place in Bouchard
Finlayson’s Barrel Cellar and will be hosted by renowned winemaker and South
Africa’s ‘Pinot Pioneer’, Peter Finlayson, who looks forward to taking guests
on an inspiring wine journey of old and new vintages. Guests will be able to
taste 12 Bouchard Finlayson wines in total, paired with a selection of
delectable canapés. The first flight will consist of three vintages from a
small production of Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, followed by six vintages of Tête
de Cuvée Pinot Noir and the revered Cape Winemakers Guild Pinot Noir, while the
last flight will showcase three vintages from Bouchard Finlayson’s flagship
Missionvale Chardonnay. Cost: R250 per person (includes wine and canapés). Bookings
are essential: contact Bouchard Finlayson on 028 312 3515 or info@bouchardfinlayson.co.za

Wednesday, 24th June at 18h00 An intimate evening with Franck
Dangereux and Le Creuset at the Foodbarn in Noordhoek. Franck Dangereux demonstrates delicious dishes in the
latest Le Creuset cookware range, followed by a 3 course sit down dinner with a
special selection of wines from Miles Mossop Wines. Franck will share some of
his chef secrets with us and Le Creuset will spoil each guest with an exclusive
Le Creuset goodie bag. Cost: R495 per
person

Saturday, 27th June at 18h30 for 19h00 Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa invites you to enjoy a gourmet meal paired with a
wide range of carefully selected wines from Quando Vineyards & Winery. R295
per person for Dinner only or R1995 per couple includes the dinner, room and
breakfast. ENQUIRE TO BOOK

If you like the photographs you see in our publications,
please look at our Adamastor
Photo website for our
rate card and samples from our portfolio

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About us

MENU,our weekly email newsletter, started as an advertising medium for Main Ingredient, our specialist retail grocery business. We opened our Sea Point shop in December 2002 because the limited range of food products available in the supermarkets frustrated us. We realised that there was a place in South Africa for a grocer catering to people who share our tastes and needs. We moved the shop on line in 2010, but have now discontinued it, having decided that it is time to “retire” and concentrate on our writing, photography and tour guiding. MENU has a wide circulation and is read nationally and internationally.

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